Hinduism in Ancient India Questions

1a.)  How did the early Aryan religion grow into Hinduism?

         The early Aryan religion grew into Hinduism by mixing in with the other cultures already present in India at the time.  Slowly, more and more beliefs from other early religions joined in until the one big Hindu religion developed.

1b.)  How is Hinduism different from other religions that you have learned about?  How is it similar?

          Hinduism is different from other religions I've heard about, because Hindus don't really have one single all-powerful god.  Instead, they have this "Brahman," which lives in all things.  Since Brahman is so good, I think that the underlying meaning of it is that all things are good in their own way.  Many other religions just have one single, defined god.  Hinduism is similar to other religions I have learned about in that if you do bad things in your life, after you die, bad things happen to you.  In Cambodian religion, if you sin while you're alive, you go to one of the levels of hell (the worse the sins, the more unpleasant the hell), whereas if you were a good person, you go to one of the levels of heaven.  In the Hindu religion, if you are good, then you get to come back to life as a person of higher status, whereas if you were bad, then you will either come back as a person of lower status, or even an animal.

2a.)  What is the relationship between good and bad behavior and the Hindu idea of reincarnation?

          The Hindu idea of reincarnation is connected very strongly to good and bad behavior.  If you led a bad life, you will come back to life as either a person of lower status than in your last life, or  you will come back to life as an animal.  If you led a good life, you will come back to Earth as a person of higher status.  If you led a perfect life, you get to skip the reincarnation stage, and become one with Brahman for eternity,

2b.)  What does "escaping the cycle of death" mean to Hindu?

         "Escaping the cycle of death" means that you have led a perfect life and that you now get to become one with Brahman.  Since Brahman lives in all things, if you become part of Brahman when you die, you get to live in all things, too.  You don't have to come back to life, die, come back to life, die, and continue in that cycle. You just get to stay with Brahman for eternity.

3a.)  In what ways do Hindus practice their faith?

          In order to practice their faith, Hindus will worship to their gods in temples and at their homes.  Some will have altars at their houses where they will give offerings of food, gifts, and prayers.  A lot of faith/devotion shown to a god/goddess is considered a type of yoga, and it can bring you closer to Brahman. 

3b.)  How do you think the yogas bring Hindus closer to Brahman?

          The yogas bring Hindus closer to Brahman, because they separate your soul from the rest of the world, and in that calm, you become close to Brahman.